Talk me into a Europa/elise.
Discussion
Hi Lotus fans , I am currently driving a Tvr Griffith 500 ive had for near 7 years and fancy a change .
I am no spring chicken and have a bad back and 2 dodgy Knees, I have had a sit in a Europa and found it
okay to get in and out of , a fair bit easier than an Elise , The griff is getting a bit on the expensive
side to drive petrol / maintenance prices are pretty steep . Would i miss the V8 noise of the griff ?
I have heard some nice sounding elises ,special exhausts im guessing . performance wise the odd second to 60
isnt that important though im certain the Griff is a little quicker in a straight line .The griff does feel good
in an old school way no abs power steering ,I live up in the north east so great roads up here do i take the plunge
and go Lotus or do i stay as i am .
Regards Tom.
I am no spring chicken and have a bad back and 2 dodgy Knees, I have had a sit in a Europa and found it
okay to get in and out of , a fair bit easier than an Elise , The griff is getting a bit on the expensive
side to drive petrol / maintenance prices are pretty steep . Would i miss the V8 noise of the griff ?
I have heard some nice sounding elises ,special exhausts im guessing . performance wise the odd second to 60
isnt that important though im certain the Griff is a little quicker in a straight line .The griff does feel good
in an old school way no abs power steering ,I live up in the north east so great roads up here do i take the plunge
and go Lotus or do i stay as i am .
Regards Tom.
I've got a V8 TVR and a Lotus, they are hugely different in every possible way. One thing to start with, I don't care what exhaust you put on any Lotus it will never get close to the sound of a TVR. If the noise is a big, big issue stick with what you have. As for running costs, fuel aside I don't think the Lotus is that much cheaper, if at all. Tyres costs more, insurance is more (for me at least!) and service costs aren't that much cheaper, if at all.
All that said, the Lotus has much more usable power more of the time and the handling is in a totally different league to the TVR's. The getting in and out could be an issue if you have a few 'aches and pains' and the seating position once in is more go-kart like than the Tivs. All preference I think.
As ever, best thing is to drive one or two and see if you can live with them. If you try an elise make sure you try it with the roof on as getting in/out is always going to be no problem without the roof!!!
HTH, David
All that said, the Lotus has much more usable power more of the time and the handling is in a totally different league to the TVR's. The getting in and out could be an issue if you have a few 'aches and pains' and the seating position once in is more go-kart like than the Tivs. All preference I think.
As ever, best thing is to drive one or two and see if you can live with them. If you try an elise make sure you try it with the roof on as getting in/out is always going to be no problem without the roof!!!
HTH, David
I have a Europa S and can recommend one. I am no "spring chicken" and I can confirm that access is better than my previous Elise S1. Although you will not get a TVR soundtrack, if you fit a Milltek exhaust system you get some pretty good pops and bangs on the overrun and there is always the turbo whistle on acceleration. Performance is pretty good, plenty of low end torque, no need to keep changing gear to make good progress. I would say it is more refined than the TVR's I have driven on the motorway, you can listen to the radio, talk to your passenger, all in airconditioned comfort. As for the economics of running a Europa, fuel consumption is about mid 30's with a lightish right foot and service costs are OK, parts are worth researching as many are cheaper from GM rather than Lotus, but the same item. Insurance is never going to be cheap at group 20, if you need cheap insurance buy a Micra.
Thanks for the help everone especially the pics i think a Europa would be a good fit for me i will have to get busy and
have a test drive of a few , I wish i could keep the Griffith and get a lotus but funds are not forthcoming swmbo is
twitching at the thought of just trading in the griff and getting something different .
have a test drive of a few , I wish i could keep the Griffith and get a lotus but funds are not forthcoming swmbo is
twitching at the thought of just trading in the griff and getting something different .
When my other half bought her Europa (loopyLea) i thought that was the only car that could get me out of my Chim 500. I still have the chim (albeit for sale), but now have an audi engined Elise soon to be putting out 400bhp/tonne. This thing is faster than a TVR, breaks better than a TVR, handles better than a TVR and is electric to drive!!! But that v8 man 
Think i may soon be the first to put a 5L rover v8 in an elise
Think i may soon be the first to put a 5L rover v8 in an elise Gareth135R said:
With the aid of pics....why you should buy an modded Europa S...
This was the car that convinced us to buy one. We saw it on the ramps at Castle Lotus/TVR (when it was their demonstrator) having all the mods fitted. Decided to try and buy it, but in the end got a cancelled order with the exact same spec for less than Castle wanted for that one. Top car, had a well looked after life and i nearly bought it off Keith before you! But having two europa's in the household would be a bit silly 
Edited by Chimjunkie on Sunday 25th July 09:36
We nearly had two Europas as Trish loves my car and was looking at a purple one. Five lotus cars is enough for any household.
I'm running mine on 102 RON fuel and Bardahl oils which is making a huge difference to the performance. Pity my Elise racecar doesn't go as quick
I'm running mine on 102 RON fuel and Bardahl oils which is making a huge difference to the performance. Pity my Elise racecar doesn't go as quick
Edited by noddy3 on Sunday 25th July 07:09
)
I'm missing mine at the moment as its in at Hofmanns 
elise is easier to get in and out of - you just roll back the roof!
I liked the europa - can still dance like an elise but has a torquey delivery when you aren't pressing on. Fun level is higher in the elise and if you get fruity with the exhausts you'll hear it being a ragtop..... and that makes you want to drive harder.
As much as we all love the sound of a bent 8 I like the sound of a busy 4cyl.... mine has cams, 4 into 2 into 1 and a B & C backbox plenty loud enough and induction noise via hurricane. Only issue is sometimes it sounds a bit "chav corsa" but a v8 never does !
I liked the europa - can still dance like an elise but has a torquey delivery when you aren't pressing on. Fun level is higher in the elise and if you get fruity with the exhausts you'll hear it being a ragtop..... and that makes you want to drive harder.
As much as we all love the sound of a bent 8 I like the sound of a busy 4cyl.... mine has cams, 4 into 2 into 1 and a B & C backbox plenty loud enough and induction noise via hurricane. Only issue is sometimes it sounds a bit "chav corsa" but a v8 never does !
This is a very informative thread for me. I am not yet pensionable but also 6ft plus and looking for a last throw of the dice. After 3 TVRs I am angling towards a Chim 5.0 or maybe a Griff. But those Europa ads sure tempt me. Look to be the real deal, and not too pricey? What a choice!
NailedOn said:
This is a very informative thread for me. I am not yet pensionable but also 6ft plus and looking for a last throw of the dice. After 3 TVRs I am angling towards a Chim 5.0 or maybe a Griff. But those Europa ads sure tempt me. Look to be the real deal, and not too pricey? What a choice!
I've got a heavily modded Chim 500 for sale, and the other half has a heavily modded Europa NOT for sale! Well I'm looking forwards to my pension, drive a supercharged V8 TVR Chimaera at the weekends and am seriously looking at changing my V6 MG ZT daily-driver to an Elise S2 on 40 mpg economy grounds.
Roger McGough offers some guidance here:
May I die a youngman's death
not a clean and inbetween
the sheets holywater death
not a famous-last-words death
peaceful out of breath death
When I'm 73
and in constant good tumour
may I be mown down at dawn
by a bright red sports car
on my way home
from an all night party
Or when I'm 91
with silver hair
and sitting in a barber's chair
may rival gangsters
with hamfisted tommyguns burst in
and give me a short back and insides
Or when I'm 104
and banned from the Cavern
may my mistress
catching me in bed with her daughter
and fearing for her son
cut me up into little pieces
and throw away every piece but one
Let me die a youngman's death
not a free from sin tiptoe in
candle wax and waning death
not a curtains drawn by angels borne
'what a nice way to go' death
To the OP, are you sure you can't squeese to one of each?
Roger McGough offers some guidance here:
May I die a youngman's death
not a clean and inbetween
the sheets holywater death
not a famous-last-words death
peaceful out of breath death
When I'm 73
and in constant good tumour
may I be mown down at dawn
by a bright red sports car
on my way home
from an all night party
Or when I'm 91
with silver hair
and sitting in a barber's chair
may rival gangsters
with hamfisted tommyguns burst in
and give me a short back and insides
Or when I'm 104
and banned from the Cavern
may my mistress
catching me in bed with her daughter
and fearing for her son
cut me up into little pieces
and throw away every piece but one
Let me die a youngman's death
not a free from sin tiptoe in
candle wax and waning death
not a curtains drawn by angels borne
'what a nice way to go' death
To the OP, are you sure you can't squeese to one of each?
Black? Pah! Grey? Common! 
What you want is blue!!!
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1767610.htm
Sorry for the hijack, but I have a car to sell. I do love the Europa but have decided I need a couple more seats. If you are in the area you are very welcome to view.
What you want is blue!!!
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1767610.htm
Sorry for the hijack, but I have a car to sell. I do love the Europa but have decided I need a couple more seats. If you are in the area you are very welcome to view.
Chimjunkie said:
NailedOn said:
This is a very informative thread for me. I am not yet pensionable but also 6ft plus and looking for a last throw of the dice. After 3 TVRs I am angling towards a Chim 5.0 or maybe a Griff. But those Europa ads sure tempt me. Look to be the real deal, and not too pricey? What a choice!
I've got a heavily modded Chim 500 for sale, and the other half has a heavily modded Europa NOT for sale! At Snetterton a few weeks ago I noticed the Diamond anniversary Europa. Black metal fleck paint. Quilted leather and that diamond effect nose badge. Wow! Sounds a bit bling, but looked very special. Take a closer look if you can. The only thing that made me look closer was the petrol cap being all black.
And yes grey is common, but somehow looks very special in the flesh
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